THE BREWERY & TAPROOM

ON TAP NOW AT THE BREWERY

A vibrant straw-colored farmhouse ale with a snappy hop character. Notes of baked bread, hay and a mild mineral quality. The grist includes Admiral Pils and Feldblume malts and spicy Saaz and Aramis hops. For a small beer, it is both complex and supremely drinkable. Lively carbonation and bone dry. “Bang straws” were the names of those who threshed grain before the days of mechanization.

A low-gravity farmhouse ale with floral and citrus hop aroma. It is straw-colored, unfiltered, and lightbodied. Balances cracker and hay from the pilsner malt / wheat with mild bitterness due to the use of Citra, Centennial and Cascade hops. Lively carbonation helps to finish dry with soft spice from the yeast. A dangerously sessionable lawnmower beer. A chickabiddy means a spring chick or “little one”.

A refreshing straw-colored grisette style ale. Low gravity, with big juicy watermelon aroma and flavor, followed by crackery wheat mid palate. It finishes crisp and dry, with a lingering spicy Saaz hops and basil herbal quality. The beer was conditioned on 300lbs. of watermelons from Murray Family Farms (certified organic / sustainable farm from Bakersfield) in the brite tank.

A pale yellow foeder-fermented farmhouse beer with nectarines, peaches, and pluots. This beer used the last remnants of summer fruit, and was fermented with Sacch Brux Trois. It is cloudy, crisp and fruity...full of nearly-ripe stone fruit character, with rustic wheat, and subtle yeast notes. Slightly tart and fizzy, low but spicy hop bitterness, and finishes dry with a bite of pluot skin.

A pale gold saison, brewed to be Old World in style. Notes of hay, bready malts, ripe pear and spicy hops(Saaz and Aramis). It is medium bodied, with low bitterness and subtle peppery phenols. This rustic farmhouse beer is brewed with balance and meant to be food friendly and dry. “Hayshaker” was an Old West term for a farmer.

With Cashmere hops picked fresh and delivered immediately to the brewery, this pale copper Belgian Ale is fermented in stainless with a Saccharomyces Brux Trois yeast. Biscuit-like and toasty malt character, with a complex but subdued hop profile that is citrus (orange/lemongrass) as well as a touch earthy. Soft yeast spice and phenols are there too. Low bitterness, medium-bodied and dry.

A vibrant gold IPA, fermented with Sacch Brux Trois and fermented in wood. Though hazy from being unfiltered and containing wheat, this beer is hybrid between west and east coast approaches, as well a mix between our two focuses of IPA and Saison. Juicy citrus and dank notes from dry-hopping with Amarillo, and Ekuanot. It also has some subtle oak (feels like tannins), and yeast spice. Medium bodied and very dry.

A raw, unfiltered IPA that is pale gold in color. Brewed with Pilsner, 2 Row, white wheat. It is medium bodied and heavily hopped with over 2.5 lbs per barrel of Simcoe, Citra, and accented with Mosaic for hints of tropical and citrus flavor. Dry with moderate hop bitterness. A “bait ball” is a swarm of fish, leading to a feeding frenzy for larger fish and fisherman alike.

A classic West Coast style IPA, if you still remember them. Double dry-hopped with C Hops. Golden and clear, with moderate bitterness and a medium body due to added oats. As Expected....little malt character and the beer is intended to play to the citrus, herbal and a touch of floral hop aroma and flavors. Medium carbonation and a dry bitter finish, but clean, as the bitterness doesn’t linger long.

Golden, clear and spritzy IPA, built from 2 Row Barley and flaked corn. The aroma is full of juicy citrus fruits, with background resinous notes (Simcoe, Ekuanot and Hallertau Blanc hops). Some herbal and stemmy characters play second fiddle to the citrus in the flavor as well. The use of enzymes to dry out this beer makes it very noticeable in the mouthfeel and finish. It is light-bodied and crisp, and very dry and champagne-lke.

A cloudy yellow NEIPA, with 2 Row barley and wheat. Juicy tangerine and vanilla notes are primary...but some tropical pineapple and melon show through as well. Chinook in the whirlpool, and double dry-hopped with a medley of Simcoe, Loral, Amarillo, and Ekuanot. Medium to full body, with a silky mouthfeel. The beer finishes a smidge sweet, with some bitterness but no bite.

After a year and half in French Oak, this farmhouse ale was co-fermented with various Brettanomyces strains and whole peaches from GB Farms. Bright and fresh peach character, with slight funk, mild acidity, and notes of oak. Bottle Conditioned.

OUR FACILITY AND TAPROOM

Our brand is anchored by a taproom that is a place that not just offers better beer product, but an environment that strives to nurture meaningful interaction and ideas. Instead of adding to the noise, we will promote collaboration, constructive discourse, and transparency, with hopes to bring along the community on our beer making adventure. Our taproom has a large outdoor patio, and is dog friendly and family friendly.

We hope you will visit to taste our beer and take beer-to-go. We program food trucks weekly, and you can bring food on-site (delivery, pickup, or your own). We brew small-batch artisan ales, 10 BBL at a time. We have a small brewing system on site (the same one Dogfish Head started its brewpub on), as well as do off-site wort production in order to be agile and experimental. We have 100% control of wort production, and craft the highest quality beers through traditional methods. We NEVER use extracts, and we try to use the most local and sustainable ingredients when possible. We ferment, age and blend all beer on our facility. Gunwhale has a wooden foeder and temperature-controlled barrel room, with a growing supply of oak barrels for which we will develop more complex farmhouse, wild, and sour beers. Follow along for special releases.

Gunwhale Brewery

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Cowhide Branding

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Gunwhale Pheasant

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Gunwhale Taproom

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Gunwhale Decor

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Gunwhale Patio

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Gunwhale Foyer

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Gunwhale Taproom

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Gunwhale Reels Detail

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Gunwhale Barrels and Foeder

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Gunwhale Lure Dreamcatcher

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Gunwhale Fermenters

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Gunwhale Farmhouse Ale

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Nautical Decor Details

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Gunwhale American Flag

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

Gunwhale Taproom

Farmhouse brewery and blendery in Costa Mesa, CA.

Focused on Saisons, IPAs and hoppy hybrid ales, as well as wild, sour and terroir-driven beers.

CROWLER POLICY

Gunwhale Ales was proud to be the first to adopt The Crowler in Orange County. This format is better for the beer and easier for you. We fill these in 32 oz cans to be consumed off-premise. We fill any of the beers on the board, unless we decide we cannot for purposes of availability of that style. While we purge the cans with CO2 for freshness, please drink immediately and store cold for the best experience. And recycle for us!

GROWLER POLICY

- We fill blank Growlers only!

- Tape or stickers need to cover the branding of the growlers. Please do not put the burden on our staff to do so.